1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light guide device, particularly to a light guide device utilizing LED light having strong optical directivity and a light guide apparatus into which the light guide device is incorporated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for example, a ring illuminator is known as the light guide device. In the ring illuminator, plural light guide paths are projected outward from an outer peripheral portion of a ring light guide body, and an illuminator portion is disposed in a free end face of the light guide path (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-236974).
However, in the ring illuminator, downsizing is hardly achieved because of the need for providing the plural light guide paths projected from outer peripheral portion.
Therefore, there is proposed a light guide plate, wherein light from a light-emitting element is reflected once by a substantially-chevron reflecting surface formed by partially cutting a light guide device, and the reflected light is received by facing surfaces formed on both sides of the reflecting surface (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-228635).
However, because the reflecting surface is formed in the substantially-chevron shape, uneven brightness is easily generated to hardly obtain the light guide device evenly emitting the light in the case of low dimensional accuracy of the reflecting surface or low alignment accuracy of the light-emitting element. Particularly, the improved dimensional accuracy and alignment accuracy are required with downsizing the apparatus, which results in problems of low productivity and difficulty of even light emission.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide compact light guide device and light guide apparatus having the high productivity and an even light emission property.